Page 39 of Flirting with Trouble

“If I must. Come on, let’s go for a walk.” He stands up.

“A walk?” That sounds ridiculously fun.

“Yeah. You know, when you put one foot in front of the other. We’ll wander down the beach while we talk. It’ll be our Wednesday Walkabout.”

“Okay, one sec.” I put the trash into my purse and push to my feet.

As we walk down separate beaches, miles apart, with the wind on my face and his eyes on me, it almost feels like he’s right here.

“So tell me, my beautiful beach-loving friend, why do you live in the city if you love being by the water?”

“Because my life is in the city.”

“But you have an office in LA. Can’t you move there?”

“I guess, but I don’t love it here. It’s too busy, and traffic is a nightmare.”

“There are tons of other beaches to choose from. This one is awfully nice.” He moves his phone in a sweeping motion, showing me the beach.

“Yes, it is, but as I said, my life is in New York.”

“Which begs the question, why did you choose to make your life in New York?”

I gaze out at the water for a second, thinking about it. I look at him and shrug. “It just happened that way.”

He shakes his head. “I don’t believe life just happens to a woman like you. You’re too driven. You said you got your start scouting underdogs. I’d love to hear about that.”

“I can’t believe you remembered.”

“I have a good memory for things that are important or enjoyable, and you are both.”

“Uh-huh,” I say sarcastically, secretly loving the way he flirts.

His tone turns serious again. “I want to know more about you because I like you, Victory, and that makes you important to me.” His eyes spark with heat. “And I could draw you a map of the freckles on your body because you’re also incredibly enjoyable.”

“You could not.” He sure knows how to keep me laughing.

“Oh no? There’s a smattering of them on your shoulders.”

“Tons of people have freckles on their shoulders. That doesn’t prove anything.”

“You have a few on your right kneecap but none on the left.”

I look down at my knees, and I’m floored to see he’s right. “Lucky guess?”

“Hardly.” He chuckles. “In case you’re wondering, my favorites are the freckles that form a heart on your left ass cheek.”

My jaw drops in disbelief. I know those freckles exist, because Harvey mentioned them once.

“Shall I go on?”

“No. Definitely not. It’s a little disturbing to think you’ve got a catalog of women’s bodies swirling around in your head.” I’m only half teasing. I have to remember that while I was coming out from a five-year sexual hiatus, he wasn’t.

“Who needs a catalog when I have memories of you?”

“That would be a sweet line, but I bet you’ve said it more times than you can count.”

“You’d lose that bet.”